We love our movies. They are not just entertainment but religion for us. This form of entertainment cuts across the lines of caste, creed and classes to unite us. Don't you believe me? We actually have temples for our stars. And it boasts of as many devotees as some of the popular religious places.

So, this is about apna Hindi movies popularly known as Bollywood. It has got many sisters as well, such as Tollywood (Tamil Nadu), Mollywood (Karnataka) and also Kollywood, the origins of which I am not sure. Movies are made in every state of our country from Punjab to Kerala, but of course what anyone even remotely involved with movies wants to do is come to Mumbai and make it big.

In
Focus

That’s the charm our Bollywood. And why do we love our ‘phillums’. Cause they are ‘entertainment, entertainment and entertainment’. Where else will do you get the ever suffering ‘ma’ making hero’s favourite ‘kheer’ or ‘gajar ka halwa’, the ‘bechaari behen’ and the glamorous heroine. Of course the formula has changed over the years and the ‘maa and behen’ have been sidelined while the story ideas have evolved.

But if we talk only of the pure masala entertainers of yesteryears, then what made the movies full ‘paisa vasool’ were our heroes. They dash in and save the heroine/ ‘behen’ from vicious villains, beat 20 – 30 sidekicks without breaking into a sweat, dance like a dream, sing like a rockstar and dress like a..... well hero. They can do anything – dance on trains, run on trains, fight underwater, jump from aeroplanes, break into high security vaults and still look cool.

What I truly love is the song and dance routine, that also in exotic locales and designer outfits. That truly makes the entire movie a fairy tale sequence. Plus the songs earn lots of money. And there are songs for every occasion – there are love songs, betrayal songs, missing person songs (when person A is missing person B), shaadi songs, don’t do this shaadi song, you name it we have it. We like to make a song and dance about everything.

We take our movie seriously. After all it’s a thousand crore industry. Everyday hundreds come to this city with the hope of making it big. Some never do and fade into oblivion, some have a brief brush with glamour that lasts a few years, some of course go on to make history which then gives rise to million other hopes.

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